An October Cold Front Finale and Three Ways To Take Advantage

By Mark Kenyon

Seven days of temps in the 60’s or 70’s. And then then it hits on Friday. A 20-30 degree drop in temperatures, winds switching to the North, and light rain. No, this is not a dream – this is the expected weather forecast for Michigan and most of the Northern Midwest for the coming weekend.

Many of us have endured a slow and disappointing October so far, but it seems like the first real month of Fall will be going out with a bang. The last weekend of October looks to be a damn good one.

In my opinion, it looks like the stars seem to be aligning for a special couple days. We are just on the precipice of early rutting action, and this weekend the bucks will definitely be showing signs of increased daylight activity and some curiousity in the sexual readiness of the local does. Drop a mega cold front with precipitation on top of that, and you’ve got the recipe for some serious whitetail action.

Needless to say, I am stoked. This is the kind of weekend that see’s a lot of big bucks hit the ground, and I’m hoping to add one to the list myself. If you’re seeing a similar forecast in your neck of the woods, I’d recommend doing everything you can to make it into the woods. With conditions lining up such as this, it’s time to take the 2012 season into high gear.

All that being said, here are three simple, but important tips to help you take advantage of these big buck slaying conditions…

1. Consider Hunting Top Tier Locations: By this weekend the early stages of the rut will be knocking on our door and the cold front will only increase the chances of seeing some of this rutty action. Now is the time to start testing the waters in some of your better spots, that hopefully you’ve been saving up for this early Novemberish time-frame. I wouldn’t expect the major cruising through pinch points like you might see in the first week of November, but I do think we’ll see mature bucks on their feet during daylight more than we have yet this year. Get in between food sources and bedding areas, be on stand early, and get ready for some action.

2. The Time To Call: For the most part I hold off on using too many calls until the rut, or in this case just before the rut. With the increased daylight activity I’m expecting and the cold weather getting the bucks “rutty”, I’d expect this to be a weekend that you could start seeing success with calls. At this point you can start getting a little aggresive, given that bucks are really starting to get jacked up for the rut. Semi-aggressive grunts, snort wheezes, and even rattling could spark a buck’s interest at this point. Don’t be too shy this weekend, it’s time to bring the noise.

3. Hunt Through The Weather: This should go without saying, but even if the weather is cold, wet and miserable – you need to be in the woods! While these kinds of conditions aren’t necessarily the most comfortable for us as people in a tree, they are ideal for big buck movement. So dress appropriately and get out there.

Take these three simple tips into account this weekend and I think you could be in for some exciting hunting over the next few days. Good luck out there and when you close the deal on the big one – make sure to share it with the Wired To Hunt Nation!

We’ll definitley be in the woods in SE Minnesota this weekend! Been waiting for this all year! We harvested a couple of does earlier this season, and have stayed out of our rut stands….until now. Can’t wait to climb up into one of the good stands early Friday morning! The cold front, along with the rut predictions for this year, are getting me so excited I can’t sleep at night!

We’ll definitely be on stand as much as possible for the next 2 weeks solid!

Mark Kenyon

I’m pumped too Ryan! Good luck this weekend!

Ryan Johannsen

You too, Mark! We’ll let you know how it goes. We have been doing QDM on the property for years, and that, with the APRs in Zone 3, are making for some big bucks! Hopefully a nice 160-170″ will hit the ground this weekend!

Justin Morris

Hunting in eastern kansas. Big bucks will be on the move, I cant wait… Lately its been real slow and this cold front will force the rut to open with a bang! Good luck.

Scott Clarke

Finally the weather will get the big boys up moving around. Only seeing small bucks so far this season in sw ontario.

http://missouriwhitetail.wordpress.com Josh Overstreet

I’m forgetting MIZZOU’s homecoming game and heading back home for the weekend. This weather and a gut feeling are overpowering my love for football this weekend. You can’t beat these conditions coming in.